


The Lone Traveler's Diary and other Short Stories

by DarkWinter3



Category: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkWinter3/pseuds/DarkWinter3
Summary: You, a child of light, found a forgotten book within the Vault of Knowledge, the last realm before Eden. Curious, you opened the book to read its contents.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't considered a chapter btw, I just made this a whole bigass summary.

# Story Synopsis

You stumbled upon the Vault of Knowledge, cape ripped and mangled from the attacks of the krills that had suddenly appeared near the gate to the temple of Wasteland.

You had not expected those beasts to appear again after meeting their kind at the start of the Golden Wasteland. Traumatized by your harrowing encounter, you are comforted by the soft and quiet atmosphere which the Vault brings to you.

There are rows and rows of unlit lanterns on the shelves of Vault that reached to the ceiling, forgotten by time and its passing. You believed that these objects used to collect the lights of spirits who used to live in Sky. They recorded every moment of their life in detail, their knowledge and their wisdom. Yet without the proper care from a living being, these lanterns could only sit on the shelves, waiting for someone to summon them again.

Finding safe haven within such a vast and empty place, you decided to explore. You also made a mental note to retrieve your lost wing lights at the other realms once you have found the Vault Elder’s tomb.

After absorbing a few more wing lights to strengthen your flight power, you suddenly found a book lying on the second floor of Vault.

It was sneakily hiding behind a ladder and you would have missed it had your light emitted from your body not found it. Years of neglect had left the brown leather-bound book covered in a thick layer of dust which you blew it off to read the cover clearly.

With gold cursive lettering embossed on the bold cover, it reads as “The Lone Traveler’s Diary and other Short Stories”.

Curious to find out more, you found a cozy spot within the room before slowly peeling the cover off from the pages to read.


	2. Sky Log #0: Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT’s personal letter to you, the reader.

# Sky Log #0: Introduction

Hello dear Sky kid,

If you have picked up this book from Vault or somewhere (hopefully not in the muddy waters of Wasteland), congratulations! You have found the personal diary of my adventures. I am known as Winter or Aoi to my fellow friends but in this book, I am the Lone Traveler or LT for short.

In here, I recorded bits and parts of my adventures, my encounters with other Sky kids and my life. There may be some moments that are triggering but I do my best to warn you beforehand at the start of every entry. Sky is a curious world that is ever expanding, ever changing with every new season. So, I dearly hope that you will keep in mind that some information recorded in some logs will be inconsistent with your current time.

Hopefully, this diary will guide you in your endeavours in Sky. 

May you have fun in Sky, just like I have.

Yours Truly,  
Lone Traveler


	3. Sky Log #1: The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's first birth in Sky and his experience of the Isle of the Dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a very basic summary of what I (the author) experienced Sky for the first time. It seemed like years to me but actually I started playing mid-July 2019, which is LT's birthday too. I can't decide on an actual birthday date for LT so I just left it there. Hmmm I don't think there is a specific gender for LT. Besides, in the Sky world, the children of the light have no concept of gender so you can dress up as a lady, a handsome boi and even a fabulous old man.

# Sky Log #1: The Beginning

When I first opened my eyes, I found myself standing ankle-deep in the sand with ocean surrounding me. The only place not inhabited by the ocean was in front of me, a short flight of steps with two pillars framing the top of the steps. Perhaps it was once a gateway but due to years of abandonment and the lack of maintenance, time has whittled away the doors to stick-like structures. A little more forward was a huge cave that sprouted out from the sands, there wasn’t much remarkable about it so I had glossed over it.

I know not where I come from or who I am. I only know that this world (or realm as I look back on my logs) is mysterious and strangely silent. There was no one around me to tell me what I am or where I was. 

It was lonely, but strangely exciting for me in this strange world.

I kneeled near the waters and found a masked being staring straight at me. I was taken aback by surprise until I touched my face and found the mask sitting snugly. A chuckle escaped from my lips at the mere fact that I had scared myself silly with my reflection. Curious about the mask on my face, I tugged at it, trying to take it out to see my true face but a feeling of foreboding shot through me as quick as lightning. Suddenly, I was not sure if I really wanted to see my face and quietly left it at its place. 

The holes of the mask revealed two glowing yellow orbs that blinked slowly at my reflection. I wondered how my eyes looked like but the same feeling warned me not to lift my mask off. Apart from the ordinary looking mask, my snow-white hair framed my face, stopping short at the nape of my neck. A bunch of my hair at the side of my face was wrapped up in a green hair tie.

Having my curiosity fulfilled about my own looks, I decided to move forward. As I stumbled through the sands towards the cave, interestingly, the walls of the cave were lighted up to form murals. The seemingly mediocre cave was suddenly a keeper of secrets and history. The murals spoke of a time when the previous residents of the world resided in and once thrived upon. They prayed to the stars, hoping for them to help them out. The gods granted them their wish. And a star came to the land. It seemed that I was one of the many stars who came to this world. I was meant to help the residents. 

And I did not know what it was until I reached Eden. 

But that was much later on.

As I reached the end of the cave, I saw a light child standing silently at the edge of the cliff. A halo of light surrounding the child which beckons me forward. Out of curiosity, I touched the child. At the barest moment of my touch, the child turned to golden dust and went into my being. 

There was a burst of light surrounding me.

When it has subsided, I realized that I was wearing a brown cape. It fluttered slowly around me and gave me a warmth that I did not realized that I was missing all this while. It felt like a friend that I had always known, a friend who will stay with me through rain or shine. As I felt the cape, I instantly knew what I was supposed to do with my newfound friend.

I released a call that I did not know it was possible.

At my cry, I watched the butterflies, which previously floated around me lazily, swirled around me and lifted me up to the sky. The cape took advantage of the winds and brought me through the air. My heart leapt into my mouth as I felt the joy and euphoria of flight. It was as though the Sky was my home and the land was just a shackle to my body.

However, it did not last long.

I found myself pummeling into the sandy ground not so gracefully (and inhaled quite a bit of sand despite the protection of the mask). I was feeling troubled and had a selfish want of finding that feeling again. So, I searched for the light children, although wondering where they had come from and why they are so willing to help me to fly.

Finding them was like a treasure hunt. One in the cave. One standing on a fallen boat, stranded in sand, its destination unknown…

Until…

… I found a spirit who glowed blue.

Lured by it, I lighted him up to follow his memory before realizing that he was teaching me the follow emote. 

Maybe this would be useful for the future. 

But for what, I am not sure. I continued exploring, finding a light child standing precariously on the top of a cliff. The winds took me high up in the air once I took in the child, taking me to a temple peeking from the fluffy clouds. 

There were more fallen boats there. Overtaken by nature, they were covered by the grass and vines, an indication of past time and neglect. Everything was oddly in a state of abandonment. 

Where are the people?

I thought aloud before finding another child like me standing beside me. Like me, he was just equally confused and unsure of what to do in this world. I do not remember if I had befriended him but I’m sure we had gone through the temple, lighting up candles to see that the murals were revealing a kingdom within the clouds before we opened the doors. There was a straight path to a tombstone with one single candle in front. Seeing that there were no other places apart from this place, we decided to light it.

Suddenly, there was a voice. 

A small voice in my head that told me to sit in front of the altar. Feeling no danger, I decided to heed it.

I had not expected what I would see in my meditation. 

For I had met a great being that towered over me. 

He wore a broken mask and sported a great long beard that reached his waist. He was very old and very wise as he inched forward with the help of his staff to collect the light that I had brought to him. By some miracle, the light fixed his broken mask. He, the Elder of Isle of Dawn (which I later found out) gestured that I needed to do more, to help the other Elders in the other five realms. Once he relayed his message, he raised his majestic staff, summoning flocks of birds to open a door. 

I was awoken by the large creaking groans of the doors behind the altar of the Elder. Despite my inquisitive eyes, I had failed to notice those doors. It seemed that they were made to blend among the walls of the temples. The purpose behind such a design eluded me and this thought soon flew away, like a speck of dust in the desert. The blue lifeless eyes of his tomb were now sparkling in yellow, as though urging me to go forth through those doors. 

I took a hesitant step towards it. 

My fellow friend, whom I had met at the front of the temple, also followed suit.

…

And that was how my adventure in Sky started.

Thinking back, I realized after many months of travelling and interacting with Sky kids like me, I had met the Elder of the Isle of Dawn, Daleth, overseeing the little moths that were born in his land. The altar that I had meditated was his altar, hence why I could meet him. Through mediating the Elders’ altars in the other realms, I have managed to meet the others.

They all spoke of Sky in its flourishing time.

But…

They were all gone because of something. It led to the downfall of the Kingdoms and started a new era of Sky kids, fallen little stars sent to save other trapped kids and relive the lives of the spirits. 

However, that would be a story for another time.

Until the next entry, young one,  
LT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I didn't expect to end it very diary format with "Yours Truly, LT". But I guess it's these little changes that make this story a lot nicer. XD


	4. Sky Log #2: Once a moth, Always a moth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's personal reflection of moths. Sometimes, as a Sky kid, one needs to remember their roots in order to be humble and kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, this feels like a self-reflection for me. As a player of Sky: Children of the Light, I think I'm incredibly fortunate to stumble upon this community and not have bad first impressions of the game. Then again, the game was newly released when I first started so everyone was really a moth at that time. And then I went on a hiatus from the game because of life but I put slumber for LT since I don't want to be breaking the fourth wall too much.  
> But, I came back again and that's what matters. I don't know if in the future, I will keep playing this game or not but... I do try my best to enjoy my time in it with my friends.

# Sky Log #2: Once a Moth, Always a Moth

It didn’t seem long ago when I was a moth.

As a youngling, I would go every inch of the place to explore and not understand the unspoken rules set by the older Sky kids. 

In Golden Wasteland, I would get myself krilled so many times by Mike the krill because of that one spirit (little did I know, it was a season spirit). Mike wasn’t alone in that area because there was George, the manta. That fearless little creature who keeps getting impaled when you enter the first temple (actually, George is fine all this while but new moths don’t know about that). They are such great buddies to hang around with but Mike sometimes takes the fun too far, impaling me before I can get the spirit wisp to a certain spirit checkpoint. I would even activate the switch in battlefield without checking for the presence of other kids. I remember panicking and getting clueless of where to go when someone I befriended just grabbed my hand. 

Even as I write and recall these experiences, I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from me. It was simply… too adorable and foolish at the same time.

Yet, there are times when I am the smartest moth you would ever find. 

I knew instinctively when I first appeared in Isle that I had to collect the stars and relieve the memories. I knew that relieving the memories of spirits within each realm had something to do with the barriers to the special areas. At that time, I guess I didn’t need an experienced Sky kid to take me everywhere.

The point is… As a moth, I didn’t yet fully understand the value of friendship as I get accustomed to Sky. 

For me, I was more into exploration and admiring the sceneries of Sky.

While it may seem embarrassing to remember our moments as a moth, I believed those moments do not mean that it defined us. It is all a natural part of our growth as a Sky kid. 

We were once a moth before. 

So, there is simply nothing to be ashamed about as a moth.

Yet, there are some who looked down on moths, specifically discriminating them and making their life unpleasant. There are accounts of moths who aired their grievances in the global communication webs of their encounters of nasty kids who lure krills to them or refused their candles and laughed at them when they get sad. There is nothing I can possible say that can justify such undesirable actions. This world was meant for everyone to enjoy. Clearly, such kids did not understand that point.

However, it is understandable there will be a fair few that choose not to accept candles from new moths. It is tiring to try to teach them the ways of being a Sky kid when their curiosity would often get the best of them. Other reasons would be that their constellations of friends are filled up. My few personal accounts of guiding moths after my long slumber were exactly filled with all of that. 

I guess I wasn’t much of a guider material as I hope to be, which was why I retreated back to my traveling days. It was much easier for a free bird like me.

But fret not, little moths.

Just keep trying. Keep reaching out because there are many, so many kids out there who are willing to gift a candle to be your friend. So many kind souls, like the star-filled sky at Home, who will help you when you stumble along the way. Never stop wandering around, because there is beauty in that process. You will find yourself in new, strange and dark places that will scare you. But you don’t have to be scared, just one honk, a little patience and who knows? You may find your forever friend to explore Sky.

Don’t be afraid to call for help.

But, always remember to be kind and humble.

For we are born the same way. 

As moths.


	5. Sky Log #3: The Pianist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's fond memories of a big brother in Sky who always take LT on oobs apart from farms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really my personal experience of 'Pianist'. I never unlock chat with this player but he/she was always such a delightful friend to hang around with. I rarely see this friend since we keep missing each other due to busy life. It's true that at this moment, I don't want to unlock chat with this friend. The need to verbally talk wasn't much and we can understand each other just fine with emotes. Maybe... someday, we might need to talk. But for now, it's okay. :)

# Sky Log #3: The Pianist

Recalling my moth days is pretty much a blur these days. 

It was just a short three months before I went into a deep slumber. When I woke up, the very first thing I did was try to find all the friends I befriended when I was a moth. After all, to suddenly go missing and to come back again would still give them a shock. Even if we have met once or twice, it will still be good manners to tell them that I’m in Sky now and that I don’t intend to leave any time soon.

Honestly, it wasn’t easy.

There were so many that had turned inactive during my period of absence. I could see their stars in the night sky but… I don’t think they will ever light up. Day by day, night by night, I always glanced up at the sky, hoping to see numerous glowing halos around the stars that represented my friends. Yet, I can only see a few bright stars. 

I felt that it was a pity to not have any opportunities to hang around in Sky and enjoy some adventures together. All the possible fun that we could have… could never be fulfilled because they have left Sky forever. Maybe… someday, they will remember Sky and the people they have met here. Then on account of that small possibility, they might return just to pop in for a hello and reminisce the good old days. 

One can hope for that.

No matter how small it is.

Fortunately, there are some friends or acquaintances left.

But one left a deeper impression than any of them.

I can still remember the day I first met this Sky kid. It was as though it was yesterday. After all, first impressions do stick well.

I was exploring prairie’s most common out-of-bound(oob) area.

I believe it was my first oob at that time. At that moment, I was immensely happy that I had gotten through a hole in the big cave since I had been trying that for some time but my limited wedges made it difficult for me to get through. Fortunately, there was a kid who was stuck there so we recharged each other up before going about own way. 

After that encounter, I met him.

There is an area in the oob that has a hole that blows unsuspecting kids into a smaller part of the cave. He sat quietly at the corner of the area, near the hole. I don’t remember what outfit he wore on that day but it was very peculiar and I knew that he had definitely played Sky far longer than I was. He was playing his piano peacefully when I came. I hope I wasn’t a nuisance to him since I made sure to wait for him to finish while enjoying his music. Enthralled by his music, I gave him my candle before I dropped through the hole. Or at least that was what I believed I had done. I don’t quite remember what exactly happened after that. 

I called him Pianist… since… he played the piano when we first met.

So, after my slumber, I teleported to this friend whenever he was online.

…

It was the best decision I ever made.

Whenever I was with him, he took me to a new oob place. Or maybe it just so happened that he was going to an oob area. But, whatever the case, the places he and his friends took me to were beautiful.

Among all of the oobs he took me, I love the Valley sliding race the most. 

I wouldn’t exactly say it was an oob place since it didn’t involve much of getting through any walls or grounds. It was a regular farm when he suddenly stopped in the middle of the race, at the particular spot where there were 3 paths with an overarching structure above. He did an emote to say he has an idea. Curious of what he was going to do and accustomed to how that emote usually lead to an oob place, I honked back for him to show me what it was. He flew straight up to show that the overarching structure was actually something like buildings. 

Or… what’s left of the buildings.

I was surprised. Since Valley’s races were boring, many kids, including myself, tend to want to complete the race as quickly as we can and get it over with. The thought of observing the scenery never did cross most of our minds.

Afterwards, he flew over the track towards the buildings. There was a huge wall of strong wind to prevent us from going out of the track so it was a little difficult to get to where he was planning to go. However, it wasn’t impossible because he managed to land and honk to get my attention. To say surprise was an understatement at that time. 

I was literally blown away by what he had shown me.

I didn’t know that sunset or sunrise (could never differentiate that in Valley, honestly) could be so beautiful. There weren’t enough words in my limited vocabulary to describe the awe I felt with all the shades of such warm and bright colours filling up my vision. At that moment, I just had to take a picture. Just to preserve this moment and etched it within my heart. 

So, I did. 

An adorable picture with chibi-sized Pianist. 

It was my first time seeing Pianist looking so small and cute. It was strange, funny and charming at the same time. I remembered that I had a good laugh before we entered Valley. He was so confused about why I was laughing that I had to take a shrink potion to tell him that it was because he turned small.

…

Pianist is probably one of the many reasons why I love Sky.

I look up to him as a big brother with the cool Valley ‘Kakashi’ hair and a guitar (he changed from a piano to a guitar when I came back to see him). I believed that at one point in time, due to our frequent meetups and farms, I had a slight crush on him for being such a nice and accommodating friend. 

Maybe... that is why I really find kids with that hair attractive. Of course, that is not the only hair I find attractive. The Rhythm quest-giver’s hair is another looker but unfortunately thanks to my slumber, I missed a lot of seasons. It was a small stroke of luck that I managed to enjoy the ice-skating rink in Home before it melted away.

I am thankful to have this ‘big brother’ of mine that I see from time to time. So much so that every time I met him, I would unlock a portion of the friendship tree or give him a gift. Yet, there is one portion of the tree that I never thought to unlock.

It was the chat.

To many lonely travellers in Sky, this chat is perhaps the most mystical part of Sky. It is the one function that really allows you to verbally communicate with your friend without the use of emotes.

I don’t know why I didn’t.

Nor do I know why he didn’t too.

Maybe both of us wanted to keep this peaceful silence between us.

Maybe we just wanted to keep this beautiful image of each other as a silent friend…

But it is fine.

I’m not too sure of what I would expect if I ever tried to unlock it.

Perhaps… that dreamlike vision will break if I heard his voice. 

And… 

That is a reality that I do not want to face yet.


	6. Short Story 1.1: Val

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the many stories that LT had translated from the books they found in Vault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This short story is dedicated to one of my Sky friends, Val. Happy birthday! (\^-^/)
> 
> Apart from LT's entries, I will also post small short stories like this from time to time. By the way, this short story has 3 parts, this is only the first part. So you can look forward to this fairytale-like story that I spun off from my friend's life. Even LT will mention it in one of their future entries.

# Short story 1.1: Val

There once was a queen,  
Who was known all over Sky, to be  
Fair and wise.

She was,  
A benevolent ruler of the Forest,  
The child of the Forest Elder, and  
Queen to her people.

With long ringlets of silver hair  
down to her waist,  
A cape of emerald green  
Sitting on her shoulders, and  
A pleasant smile worn on her face,

She was known to everyone as  
Val.

She loved her people,  
Who greeted her with smiles and laughter.  
She loved her friends,  
Who accompanied her through rain or shine.  
She loved the little creatures in her realm,  
Who come for her loving scratches and pats.

Yet,  
Despite what she have,  
No matter how content she was,  
She felt,  
Something was missing,  
In her life.

Something precious,  
One of a kind.

Something for her,  
And only her.

“But what was it?”

She wondered,  
Looking up at the full moon  
in the night sky.

How wonderful,  
It would be,  
If there was someone,  
To be my moon.

Val thought wistfully.

Little did she know,  
That a certain King had heard her.


	7. Sky Log #4: Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just LT introducing their wonderful family to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a few things I would clarify here. There would be occasional mentions of oob, poofing and this mysterious rise in heat in the kids' bodies. For poofing and the mysterious rise in heat, these are some problems that players often encounter during playing Sky: Children of Light. Due to high graphics in the game, our phones often heat up when we play for too long (let's say, an hour) and will lag horribly. And if our game lags too much, our phones crashed. There can be sudden instances when we were playing the game just fine and the game suddenly restarts itself, this can be loosely termed as "poofing". While for oob, there are many spots in Sky which appears to have some mistakes in creating the game so you often see some beautiful glitches like a rainbow bridge in Isle once you fly high enough in the clouds near the temple.
> 
> I'm cutting quite close to breaking the fourth wall with LT knowing that they are just a game character and that the phone often has problems. So maybe... I should try my hand with LT breaking the fourth wall. Dannnggg, existential crisis for LT. XD

# Sky Log #4: Family

Every one of us needs a family.

It could a family based on blood. Or one based on bonds. When you are just closed enough to a group of friends whom you click well enough, that can be considered family too. So long as you cherish a person and wants that person to be a part of your life, that person becomes your family. 

After spending so long playing around in Sky, I realized something. 

That the road to life wasn’t meant to be walk on alone.

Family is something that is so simple and present, yet we often take it for granted. We often live in the bliss of it without knowing the true importance of it. It doesn’t have to be based on blood, that was something I learnt in my years of travelling. Sometimes… some people don’t have the luxury of having blood-related family or have good memories of spending time with them for reasons far too personal to be shared here. 

The fundamentals of a family, to my understanding, is simple. It is just a desire to be together and live happily with each other

“Family”… Is certainly an overused title. Yet, I wanted to introduce the family in Sky that I did not know I needed. 

… Maybe the ‘lone’ in ‘lone traveler’ needs to be taken out now. But I had grown fond of this title and identity that I had taken up that both words had to be together to create me. Or there would not be any uniqueness.

It started with a simple comment.

A simple wish born from a desire to be with a group of friends. 

After my long slumber, I realized that I had completed all the maps, including Eden (it took a while, but I got my first rebirth after so long). I have more or less memorized the farming routes before I began to look into other areas of interest. I discovered that there are kids who specialized in going outside of the maps, commonly known as out-of-bound(oob) areas and kids who began to form their own small communities or families. Some have gone far enough to be a Sky couple. I heard from the distant winds of news that there were even marriages taking place, participated by their closest friends.

It was then I realized…

… I am alone.

I was alone from the moment when I first arrived in Sky to when I first finished Eden. A cold chill breeze through my body when I recognized this, even my heart was seized by the harsh truth. Suddenly, the world became a little grey and dull. It felt ironically quiet even though I was surrounded by random kids honking around. 

I was looking at the Sky world with a pair of fresh eyes. 

I knew what I had to do.

So, I scoured through the dusty sands of Isle, the flowery fields of Prairie, the wet lands of Forest, the polluted air of Wasteland, the fluffy snowfall of Valley, the floating specks of Vault and even through the rock storm in Eden. I battled with krills (just kidding, I ran and avoided them), had a few bar fights with the crabs (before putting them on a fire, these little thugs never learn!) and wrestled with the tentacles of the jellyfishes (they sting!). 

All these…

Just to find friends.

Fortunately, the wheel of fate did not let me wait for long. However, I didn’t think I would expect much out from a single comment about a post of an oob. There were widespread news outlets and connections in Sky that are easily accessible when you want to find them, so getting updates from the admins of Sky to the general public was not hard to find. 

Val, the owner of the post, extended a greeting to me and invited me to join her when I had the time. I jumped at the chance and sent her an invite so that I could teleport to her. I thought she was also a lone traveler, but a traveler who welcomed company from time to time. 

Little did I know, she was part of a large family and she was going to pull me in. 

The moment I appeared in Sky and teleported to her, Val immediately introduced me to David, Anna, Shaz, Emma, May, Nana and… before I knew it, I was part of this family filled with such amazing friends from all over the world. 

Separated by miles of seas and lands (even a bit of language barrier since English was not everyone’s first language), but connected in hearts at Sky. 

My dead constellations of ‘lifeless’ stars were packed with new, shining stars. It was a lot to take in at that time, yet talking to them made me feel like I was entering a life of unpredictable adventure. 

I think the most impressionable part was when Anna asked about what was my role. 

I was kinda confused. I have no idea what she meant until David, who was leading us, explained the roles in the farming group: the lighter, the honker, the talker or the poofer. 

“Poofer” was a new term that I had never heard of until Anna instantly disappeared or poofed during our run in Wasteland. Apparently, she crashed or… Wasteland yeeted her out of its realm for a moment. At that moment, the Season of Enchantment had yet to start so the Wasteland at that time was getting a bit wonky and was prone to be temperamental to some kids. I failed to realize I had the same problem when I was alone but… Sky yeeted me out too after Anna. It was a good thing I had unlocked warp with Val so I could quickly join back to the group before we split again.

The first question Anna asked when I joined back again was “Welcome back, apprentice. :3” 

So, in good humour, I replied, “Master? XD”

And at such a momentous time, we became master and apprentice in poofing. We had our fair shares of troubles with poofing and crashing. We related to each other on this matter much more than when we felt the burning heat in our bodies from expanding too much energy. Nowadays, our moments of poofing are like specks of memories in the past but… irreplaceable. 

In this family, most members would view Val as a soothing mother and David as a silent but encouraging father. Of course, if you haven’t gotten the memo, Val and David are a sweet Sky couple known as Valid, Shaz as a spazzing little kid that is hyperactive and Anna as a talkative but lovable child. If you put Anna and Shaz together, you get the world’s greatest combination of chaos. Fun chaos.

I’m not quite sure where I stand in this family. 

But maybe as a silent family friend who is a willing party in playful antics or a quiet kid tags along with the parents. Or maybe that one teenage kid that knows their way around the world. 

Nevertheless… I love this family. 

And I would never trade anything, candles or hearts, to replace them. 

How about you? 

Do you have a family in Sky?


	8. Sky Log #5: Freelancer Job in Vault of Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's new job in Vault!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is purely fictional! I wanted to add on more to the version of Sky in LT's Diary so that I can include in some of the fanfictions of Sky I see around in the community. This is also another outlet for me to create more side stories for LT's Diary. Please look forward to seeing more mini stories in the future!

# Sky Log #5: Freelancer Job in Vault of Knowledge

It hasn’t been very long since my slumber and joining Val’s family.

Yet… 

I found myself broke after the arrival of the travelling spirits. 

It seemed that has become a thing during my slumber after the seasons. It also gave opportunities to kids like myself who missed the seasons to get the cosmetics and emotes. I was in a bit of a bind when I found a “for hire” on the news bulletin in the Sky Home. 

Apparently, there were some kids who had taken up roles within Sky. Some have chosen to be realm guiders; guiding moths and other kids across the realm. While some have chosen to stay in Vault to make sense of the lore behind this world. Unfortunately, Vault keepers often find themselves short-handed, hence posting up a lot of “for hire” notices on the news bulletin. But not many were willing to work in Vault since the place was known to be boring. From the notice, I gathered that they were looking for people to help restore the lamps back to the shelves. 

As you all know, all the realms in Sky had been in a state of abandonment until we came down to help restore the place and free the trapped children in *cough* place. The lamps in Vault had all lost their luster so the Vault keepers desperately needed kids to help restore and transfer the memories.

My friends knew that I was an avid writer (and bookworm), especially from the appearance of this diary so they urged me to sign up.

It didn’t take long since there wasn’t much of a competition. Once I was in, I was let on to what the job entails.

It seemed that I had to translate the memories from the lamps into words so that the keepers could have two copies, the original and the translated version. Once they checked the contents and confirmed it, they would release the memories to the other kids in Sky so that everyone can benefit from the memories. In a way, Vault was like an abandoned library with countless untranslated or damaged books waiting to shine before they can share their secrets to the readers. 

It was quite a challenge since… words have barriers after all.

Yet, it seemed the keepers were quite satisfied with my work because they kept calling me back. It proved to be quite a bother since I had my own adventures and the life of a desk job was simply not for me at all. Eventually, we had to draft out a contract so that both sides could benefit from it.

I was free to go on my travelling and share some of my translated works in here. In return, I have to give them an agreed number of translated memories to them which I will get paid back by candles. It was a bit of a pity that I wasn’t given access to enter their secret place… but that is okay, once I saved enough candles and racked up enough trust in me, I will naturally be able to enter there. For now, I will just rely on my friends’ help to get there.

Anyway, I became their freelance translator or writer.

If you are to ask me whether I liked the job I had signed myself up for… I would say yes. I am given exclusive excess to untouched memories. Memories detailing the past lives of the previous residents of the Sky World, information on their long-forgotten knowledge and many other things. 

To me, I feel like I am unravelling and unearthing past civilizations. 

When I look into their memories, for a brief moment, I can feel myself living there. Sometimes, it could be depictions of wars. Or stories of love. Other times, it could just be age-old recipes on how to cook the dark creatures. I tried their recipes… All I can say that stuff that should not be eaten, should really not be eaten since… They can’t be salvaged anymore.

However, it is true that desk jobs aren’t a fit for me. 

My soul desires to travel and feel the vibe from the surroundings. It desires the raw experience with others on a thrilling adventure. Also, the seasons! There have never been a season that was boring in my eyes. There have been a lot of mixed opinions about them but I can never truly say that I hate them. Every season is one more clue to the secrets behind the World of Sky. They just add on the information we have about Sky; why we came to Sky, what happened to its people, the treatment of the creatures against us, etc.

All in all, it is a wonder to be alive to experience all of this. So how can I give up my life of travelling to lock myself behind a desk of parchments and lanterns?

Of course, now that financial problems have been solved…

I planned to finish off my constellations and get all the Elders’ hairs. 

PS: I have added a short part of a translated memory I have gotten from a lantern. It was on the previous entry. I quite like this story and it reminded me of Val and David. What a coincidence that their names are the same too!


	9. Sky Log #6: Stranger Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's 'scary' experiences of weird people in Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be one of the longest entries I have written for LT's diary but the experiences I have written in here are real. They are personal first-hand experiences which may or may not be exaggerated for the purposes of this story.
> 
> I think it is important to protect yourself as well as the younger players in Sky or in any other games or situations. I have seen kids as young as 7 playing this game and heard of adults as old as 40 plus playing this game so you can see that this community appeals to quite a huge group. Perhaps this long-winded entry may be laughed off as something far-fetched or rare or something that will definitely not happen to you. But I can assure you that things will happen to you when you least expect it.
> 
> Keep your distance, because one can never know the true nature of another person unless you are him. Of course, you don't have to be wary of every single person you meet. That would be exhausting. There are more good people out there than bad... but big bad wolves know how to disguise themselves to be good people.

# Sky Log #6: Stranger Danger

If there was one thing that all kids have to be aware in Sky, it would be anonymity. 

We do not know the actual faces behind the mask of our friends, no matter how true they are to you. This will be breaking the fourth wall (and I will do so in today’s entry), but the same applies to real life. Therefore, I cannot stress how important this is but no matter what, do NOT reveal anything about yourself that can lead people to you. 

It is dangerous. 

You never know what will happen if you reveal any personal details about yourself, regardless if it is a seemingly harmless photo of yourself or your full name. In the worst case, we may never see you again. And I do hope no one will ever meet such an ending.

There are two stories that I wanted to share in this log that proved that no matter how fun and caring the environment created in Sky unlike other games, we will keep seeing such things happening. 

And the sad truth is… they will continue to exist.

There was a friend in Sky that I met through a kind friend, Val who claimed herself to be Mosa, a 13-year-old player. There was a sudden dispute between them which I am not fully knowledgeable of. If I recalled, there was an issue about Mosa blocking friends for fun and this was not resolved for quite some time. This argument was the last straw because Val had enough of her blocking repeatedly and Mosa not understanding the problem behind it. Val had Mosa blocked her forever because she was losing patience. Eventually, Mosa disappeared many months after.

It wasn’t until a few months ago, when Mosa appeared again. 

This time, Mosa was played by a late teenager who is 19-year-old, Wilson. He came on behalf of Mosa. He claimed that Mosa’s identity was forged because Mosa is actually his big brother, a 24-year-old man who met a car accident during the period of his disappearance in Sky. In fact, he was lying in the hospital bed in a coma and have yet to wake up. And he came at this moment in time to relay the message that his brother has left before the accident. It as though… Mosa predicted that he was going to meet something unfortunate and left things behind for his little brother to help him fulfil.

This was when the details said by Wilson started to have discrepancies.

He claimed that the doctor diagnosed that Mosa will wake up a month later. Yet, to another friend, he said he will wake up tomorrow. The time discrepancy raised suspicions about Wilson’s story. The reason is a few hours later, Mosa woke up when I returned to Sky later in the evening.

While I cannot say much about whether doctors can accurately diagnose the time taken for a coma patient to wake up or how an amnesiac person would react to friends that he cannot remember, one thing I can say for sure is that the identity behind Mosa’s Sky kid is… questionable. 

It wasn’t even after a day that Mosa woke up when Wilson met us. It was also not after a day when Wilson fully took over Mosa’s Sky kid and made him his own. 

It is certainly hard to believe that everything happened so quickly. I found it hard to believe it myself but it is true. 

All of this was happening. 

And, I found it frightening.

It is hard to understand this. But if you do not know the Sky kid behind the mask, the person can be any one in this world. He could be young or old, male or female, kind or selfish and the list could go on and on. If he cannot reveal a side of himself truthfully to you, then he cannot be trusted. No matter if the intention is harmless or not, he cannot be trusted because we cannot discern the truth from the lie.

Up till now, the things said by Wilson did not do any one of us harm.

In fact, Wilson’s actions also lead many of my friends who knew Mosa firsthand to believe that Wilson is Mosa, that Mosa is fabricating an identity in order to be friends with them, with Val again. 

Another odd point I found when I was with Wilson was his reaction to Mosa’s friends. When Erikku came online, Wilson suddenly got excited and cried out his name, like an old friend who has not seen his friend for a very long time. Logically, Wilson should not even be close to us because we have never met him. 

So… why was he so familiar about us?

The ending of this little story was that I started blocking him. Very soon, the rest also decided to do the same, canceling off all interactions with him. He may not have done any potential harm to us… but, his or her words cannot be simply trusted because of what had happened. Unfortunately, a fair few did not detect the problems in his words and still allowed him to hang around. I can only hope that no harm comes to them. 

Sometimes, I do see the kid from time to time when he hangs around the ones who did not block him. And recently, the kid was overtaken by another identity, Luna. The little sister of her two brothers who supposedly comes to defend her brothers. 

From what? 

I do not know for I ceased all interaction with him or her. I did not want to linger around someone who had mixed lies among truth. Perhaps Wilson is telling the truth. Maybe I or we have mistaken him or her. If that is true, I am deeply sorry for cutting off a possible friendship. However, I have no further wish to associate with someone who I have to keep second guessing every word that he or she said. It is tiring and it defeats the purpose of enjoying Sky.

The next little story… is another personal interaction through another friend of a friend. 

His name is Shoaib, a little moth who clings to another good friend, Anna. It was a short interaction but this time, I was not the one who ended it.

When I entered Sky to start farming, Shoaib teleported to me when I was in Valley. I remembered distinctively that we were in the sliding race because I was finding an out-of-bound (oob) spot. At that moment in time, Anna was not active so that might be the plausible reason why Shoaib had come to me. 

I was finding it difficult to communicate with him during the race because he may be confused at what I was doing. Since he was a friend of Anna’s, in good faith, I unlocked speech with him. 

Within a few moments, I regretted it. 

Immensely.

For his next words were to ask about whether the name I had given him was my true name. 

Now, I had no qualms revealing my true name when I am close enough with my friends. But most are contented with the name I had given them, believing me and respecting my wishes to be called as such even when they later found out it was not my actual one. Again, breaking the fourth wall, I prefer to separate reality from fantasy. The same is true for my names. My true name when I speak with people in my life; my Sky name when I speak with my family and others in Sky.

Truthfully, I said that the name I had given was not my actual one.

Then, he asked for my true name which I was highly uncomfortable in revealing it to an acquaintance. And he pressed when I did not give a clear answer. It did not end until I snapped and told him directly that my Sky name is good enough for him to call me and that there was no need to ask for my true name.

After all, a name is just a name. 

That instantly soured what little friendship we had between each other. In an effort to make things lighter, I took him to Valley’s oob spot and one of the most beautiful spots that I ever known in Sky. I had hoped that he would grow excited and be willing to continue to converse with me. 

Instead, what I had received was… unexpected.

And disappointing.

His reaction to night time oob Valley was… underwhelming. There was no ‘wow’s or ‘wait, let me take a picture’ or even an action to take a picture. It was like presenting a work of refined art to the unappreciated. Better yet, it was like serving a plate of dish made with so much hard work and thought put into it, only for your customer to swallow it whole and give you a look of nonchalance.

It was a complete waste of my efforts to bring him there. 

Period.

With feelings hitting to rock bottom, we returned home. One moment, he was there beside me. The next, he was gone. Asleep or what, I do not know but there was no moving circle around his star. It just means, he was temporarily not in Sky.

This simple story would have ended here if I never thought more into his actions.

I felt there was a hidden motive behind the question about the name. And it seemed strangely familiar to tactics used by people when they were looking for partners. Especially his actions when he befriended my friends who have a female outfit.

Conclusion?

Shoaib is not here in sky to play. 

He was here looking for a girlfriend. Or a wife.

It was a very possible reason. One that is hard to get out of my head when I relayed to my friend, Jil, who got befriended by him. Her encounter with him lined up with my suspicions. He had befriended her with candles and luckily, none of them unlocked chat before things unfold. Just like before, Shoaib teleported to her when she was farming and tagged along. Only to mysteriously disappear later. She did not connect it to anything until I talked about my suspicions and she mentioned briefly that Mo had tagged along a few moments after Shoaib teleported to her and lighted him up. A theory formed was that Shoaib probably disappeared when he figured that Jil and Mo were a thing and hightailed it out of the way. 

Possible but how to prove? 

Val advised me that I should reveal my suspicion to Anna because she is the one who have to be around him most of the time. If his intention is not to play but to look for a potential partner, she could get hurt. I was worried about upsetting her but I knew it had to be said. I tried waiting for Anna in Sky but when the wait got to me, I had to contact her through other means.

Luckily, I did not even need any more convincing evidence to prove my thoughts to her. 

For what she told me next was simply like a tactic used to get a partner. 

Shoaib asked for social media accounts from Anna. Through that, he was started to frequently converse with her. Even to the point of teaching her with his native language even though she expressed disinterest. She expressed discomfort when talking to him and gradually felt that he wasn’t genuinely interested in Sky. Eventually, she told me that she would distance herself away from him.

I do not know the results of it but I definitely know that Shoaib would not be coming back for a while to Sky. He has not appeared in Sky for a while now and I hope he continued to do so unless he rediscovers a love for Sky. Then, he would be welcomed.

So… 

Beware of who you befriend.

Never reveal your personal details. 

For you may invite trouble to your doorstep.


	10. Short Story 1.2: David

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 2nd part to Short Story 1.1: Val. LT is starting to love this story, it bears a striking resemblance to the friends they know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I don't include the short stories in the official posting dates so that I can throw in a short story whenever I feel like it. XD  
> I had great fun writing the parallel version to "Short Story 1.1: Val" so this is the counterpart. The next and last part of short story 1 will be about the both of them together. I draw great inspirations from my friends in order to write this story. I will introduce more about them when the time comes!!

# Short story 1.2: David

In another realm,  
Far from the Hidden Forest…

There lived a King,  
Who was known to his subjects as,  
Brave and bold.

He was,  
A mighty ruler of the Wasteland,  
The apprentice of the Wasteland Elder, and  
King to his fellow krebs.

With a majestic crown  
Sitting on top of a fearsome lion-like mane,  
A cape of inky black  
Adorned on his shoulders, and  
A scary crab mask on his face,

He was known to everyone as  
David.

Despite the land ridden with  
Pollution and filth, and  
Of krills and krebs,  
He had a heart filled with gold.  
Yet, he knew not to taken advantage by his kindness and  
Ruled over his people truthfully, justly and firmly.

He had fondness over his fellow krebs,  
Who greeted him with headbutts and ‘skrees’.  
Such little lovable creatures,  
Were allowed to make mischief on passing travelers.

For the krills,  
He made a deal with them. 

To feast on those  
They laid their lone eye on.  
Yet if the children escape their sight,  
They were not to search for them.

With that, he ensured  
A long-lasting peace  
In his Kingdom.

Yet,  
Despite everything,  
No matter how satisfied he was,  
He felt,  
Something was missing,  
In his life.

Something precious,  
One of a kind.

Something for him,  
And only him.

“But what was it?”

He heard the question  
In his heart said aloud,  
As he was guided by the moonlight  
Down a grass trodden path.

Hidden by the towering trees,  
With trunks as wide as the pillars in his temple,  
He spied upon a certain Queen  
Thinking wistfully by herself.


	11. Sky log #7: A Little Moth Named Mo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT's story of meeting this special little moth in his newfound family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be another log for this. To finally draw an end to it.
> 
> However, as the characters are based off on real people and I will not say whether events are exaggerated or not for the sake of this story, I would like it if you guys hold back any possible nasty comments for a while. At least until the next log for this(which may take a few more entries before we have a continuation of this one).
> 
> Also, the timeline for this log is actually quite old since I have written most logs before I started publishing this fanfiction. The exact event, as you can gather from clues in the log, happened during the Season of Enchantment. And this log is published now. So, you can calculate how long the matter had been. 
> 
> I don't write this log to point fingers. 
> 
> I write this because I met a moth. And the moth became my friend. Then, the moth suddenly stopped being active.
> 
> That is what I am writing about.

# Sky Log #5: A Little Moth Named Mo

Not many moths in Sky leave a deep impression on me. 

They come and go, disappearing off infinitely, never to grow into a seasoned Sky kid. Not many can find the beauty within Sky, the friendships within and the communities formed. However, if they do, I hope with all my heart, they treasure the priceless gifts bestowed upon them. 

Honestly, when I came back from my slumber, I took up some time to guide moths. I had no family at that time. No Val, David, Anna or Shaz to hang around with. But then, I wanted a little something more. Something more permanent then guiding moths who just stayed for a few days before disappearing like a comet. It stretched on to a few weeks until I lost all hope of finding moths who could stay long term. 

It just wasn’t worth the candles. 

Or the patience.

Sometimes, people should not come in and interrupt a person’s practice time. Sometimes, they shouldn’t get angry about it when I decided that it was just not the time for me to guide you. Because it was a time for me to be alone with my music but I just like being in an open area. Sometimes… kids should understand that I am not a saint at all. 

My temper is a little peculiar, that I agree. It is something that was born out from loneliness from days of travelling and a shield from being hurt. Plus, disappointments from my real-life friends who are just not interested in this world. I don’t blame them. After all, people have their own preferences. I have merely… grown a little cold and nonchalant to whatever things that would happen to me.

But, this moth. 

This dear little moth named Asmo, or known to us as Mo, changed that a little. I hope that someday, he reads this log and understand how deeply appreciated he is by some of his friends and families. 

When I first met him through my Sky family, he was new to Sky and a new addition to the family. I was also a recent add-on to the family so I was just getting to know everyone. I thought nothing of it and only treated him with the politeness of an acquaintance. I don’t know how or when it happened, we just… became friends. He was older than me in reality but in Sky, I was far older and more experienced in the world. It was kind of odd but it didn’t really matter anyway. 

Every one of us is here in Sky to enjoy it.

Mo was kind of apprehensive about the Hidden Forest. He didn’t like the rain and he wasn’t familiar with the place. At first, we stuck to waiting around for Val and David so we could go for farming and have fun together. Then, they got busy and we got impatient of waiting so we went farming together before teleporting to them when they are active in Sky. I often took up the role of bringing Mo around Forest because he was hanging around in the group chat (yes, we have a discord group for our family), waiting for people to be online at reset time so he can hang out with.

However, eventually I got busy with writing. 

It was fun. 

It was… rewarding to hang around with him, go around oob spots and enjoy Sky. Watching him get used to forest, suddenly finding out that he knows the maps of other areas(honestly should have let him take over when I got burned out from Eden), starting to bring other moths around, unlocking warp when we finally saved enough candles, trying out the piggyback glitch for the first time or finding the rainbow in Isle… 

These experiences were all so… rewarding. So priceless. It was kind of like watching a child grow up.

Then, trouble came. 

It was very gradual. When Mo became… different. When Mo started to reveal another side of his jokey and fun personality. Then… all of a sudden, Mo is not the Mo I see at first.

There was a huge fight.

So huge that it changed everything suddenly. 

Mo got into a fight with May or more like May confronted him. About how he was acting cold towards May’s friend, Nana and her because they coincidentally met in home and he didn’t greet them. And that he had been acting cold towards them or everyone for a while. I don’t know much of this fight because I was confused and it happened within minutes.

Everything… 

… Just kind of blew up.

Mo just got really angry. To him, it was a sudden confrontation with May blowing up on him for some reason and he didn’t really like that. He didn’t like how he felt like he was blamed on and just… deleted the whole discord group.

To be honest, the tension had built up for some time within the family around Mo. 

He was changing in a direction that wasn’t positive and we don’t know exactly the details of what is happening to him. To make matters worse, the fight just happened to be close to his birthday. 

Many of us, including me, were planning for a surprise birthday for him in Sky. 

In his favourite place, the Ark in Wasteland. 

The last task was given out during the Season of Enchantment. When the task was fulfilled, the final appearance of the Ark was really beautiful with the humongous boat, the colourful tents, the clear blue waters and the flowers. Small little things that were coloured purple, pink and yellow with grass in between. Birds were attracted to the peaceful ambiance of the place, chirping noisily and flapping their wings about. Schools of fishes swimming agilely in the waters, scattering immediately when you disturbed the surface of the waters…

Everything about the Ark was breathtaking. It was more than enough for a party to take place there. Heck, even a wedding could be held there.

…

But it had nearly gone down the drain because of the fight.

I really wanted to blow up on May, just like how she blew up on Mo. But it was entirely useless. If I were to get mad at her, would things change for the better?

No.

It would not. 

What has been done, was already done. No matter how much I wished she had done differently, things had happened. There was no going back anymore. I could blame people… but it wouldn’t help anything at all. So, I shoved that unpleasant feeling down the recesses of my heart because there were more important matters to be worried about. 

A few days before this matter, I just found out that actually, Mo was not looking forward to his birthday. He had spent his birthday alone, despite having friends and family. I don’t know much but I do know that he was reluctant to answer my questions about them. So, we just wanted to make this year a little different for him. And hopefully, he looks at it with a better light. Yet, the fight made this surprise party harder to commence.

Thankfully, we had Jil around.

Jil was one of the many moth friends he found who lives in the same country as him. She was the closest person to him, often hanging around him and being the best listening ear for him. It was to my surprise they became a couple in Sky not too long before his birthday. 

Believe it or not, I was the last to know in the family… Apparently, Val had forgotten to tell me. 

Unfortunately, on his birthday, he got drunk. 

Really drunk and leading us around Wasteland. It was a wonder we didn’t get spotted by the krills. The surprise location was changed to home since it was late. Despite the birthday plan being botched, it turned out okay. There was a funny moment when Jil and I were panicking because Mo fell into the oil in Ark and fell asleep there. It took a long time before he was finally out of danger (I think his phone finally went out of battery which was a good thing).

However, an okay moment doesn’t make what happened later better.

For quite a while, Mo started to grow cold and hot in a split second towards anyone. What came next was unexpected. 

Mo and Jil broke up. 

Everyone, including I, believed that given their chemistry together, Mo would have at least treated Jil better. Yet, despite Jil’s patience and understanding, he pushed her away repeatedly. Everyone couldn’t understand what was going on with Mo. We all wanted to know why but no matter how much we tried, he wouldn’t explain.

To be honest, I never see that side of his cold anger that everyone talked about. Maybe because I have gotten busy with life to see enough of him for it happen.

Or maybe…

I was just afraid.

I don’t know how to approach Mo. As a friend. As a confidant. As someone he appreciated (not said by me but honestly, I don’t believe that. Not one bit). I don’t know how to approach him to ask about what is troubling him. But I wanted to help him. In whatever way I can. As I’m sure many of my Sky family members do.

I just…

…. Don’t know how.

How do you approach someone when you know deep down inside, you don’t have anything to help him?

I’m not Jil. 

I don’t understand him on the level of culture and language. Or matched in maturity and knowledge. I am simply insignificant in whatever way I can think of. Just a small fish in a volatile ocean of big fishes. 

But even she has failed. Then, what rights do I have to extend out a hand and say let me help you?

As a result, I could only watch as matters got progressively worse.

Until, 

all of a sudden, 

Mo wasn’t active for a while.


	12. Sky Log #8: The Krill Cult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sky begins to expand, LT realized that the world they are living in is everchanging and expanding. Even the rise of a certain community brings concern to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm... Are there really krill trolls? Krill attracters? Krill cultists? It's hard to confirm since I know this is a rather small occurrence.  
> I got kinda miffed when I posted a recount of this in Reddit before and someone commented that this was just seeking for attention. They were saying about just ignoring them and heading straight to Home instead of staying and entertaining them. It was true what they said held some truth but I wanted to understand why such players kept doing something like this. Yet, I never got the answer from this stranger krill cultist and they got cursed out by Mo then.  
> While this entry is written for entertainment, it is also to be aware of such players existing. Of course, I don't know how this may help new players since they may enter the game once and not play anymore. But a possible reason they may have not played anymore could be because of these players.  
> Why can't people be kind? Why hurt others and manipulate them?

# Sky Log #8: The Krill Cult

It seemed like a myth when I heard whispers of a krill cult emerging during my travels.

Many moths that I have met were traumatized by the appearance of the krills when they first entered Wasteland. This was understandable. I had lost my stars to them when I had to help relive a spirit’s memory in the area before graveyard before learning the anti-krill trick or more commonly known to many as… The home trick. 

Krills. 

The infamous dark dragons who roamed the lands of Wasteland and Eden. 

Even the mere mention of their name will send young moths to tears. It is the creature often told in bedtime stories and used to scare naughty moths to behave. 

Their hard and dark exoskeletons, their many sharp and spindly legs, plus… Their eye. 

Yes.

Their lone blue eye that turns red upon finding a kid in their path. 

It only takes a few seconds before that unfortunate kid gets charged over, losing their lights to them. For the steel-hearted, they would have dodged the krill or seek refuge in a hiding spot so that they can escape from ‘The Eye’ of the krill. 

Therefore, it is almost unthinkable that there would be some who loved such dark and deadly creatures or even play with them.

In many recounts that I have heard during my travels, the experiences were almost similar. 

Nearly all the victims were moths who had just entered the dusty lands of Wasteland and were made as sacrifices for the krills. 

Some recounted that even if they try to avoid the eye of the krill after getting attacked once, these krill cultists will draw the attention of krill to them. They do not even mind if they had to sacrifice their lights in the process. The only goal of these organized krill attacks was to watch these poor kids bleed out their lights and struggle vainly against the beasts. They revel in seeing the moths’ wretched state, laughing over their bodies until the moths have no choice but to use the portal to go home.

Initially, I had considered that such things were merely hearsay. 

However, as more young and new moths are getting mistreated in Sky, I began to consider the possibility that such foul play could exist. 

I had met friends and acquaintances who loved to play with the krills and set up pranks. Usually, they would prank within their own community and whenever appropriate, since… Not every one of us liked the idea of losing our stars. So, it could be possible that these pranks could be extended to strangers. 

However, it is not in my nature to suspect friends. 

It could also be plausible that there are small groups or individuals who specifically aim at moths and other kids just for their sick amusement. Just as how there are peace keepers, there could be those who seek to destroy that very peace we had cultivated within Sky. 

Remember Sky Log #6: Stranger Danger? 

That’s right. There would always be a spectrum of people with all sorts of personalities and behaviours so it would not be strange to see the existence of krill cults. 

However, these are only theories that I had come up with. For I have yet to meet a krill cultist. After all, cults are known for their secretive nature.

Until now.

It was a regular farming with some of my friends. I wasn’t farming with Val and David at that time. 

This was ages ago… before Mo disappeared into the unknown. 

At that moment, he had established a small farming group which he led and taught new moths like him how to farm. I had gotten acquainted with his small group of friends who lived in the same country as him. Within the group, Jil was there as well as other friends like Mira and Eulah.

We were all waiting for each other to collect the big plant in graveyard when there was a stranger who caught the attention of a nearby krill. We were all careful not to attract the attention of the krills who constantly patrolled around the plant. Having 3 eyes on you was not a pleasant event to happen to you. At first, I had thought that the kid had panicked and tried to fly away for cover but ended up bringing the krill to us who were standing on top of a big bone close to the big plant. 

Yet, it had happened twice more.

Hence, it could no longer be considered a mistake but a deliberate attempt to take our stars. Fortunately, we had all equipped ourselves with the anti-krill trick so no kids within our group were hurt.

We had tried to communicate with this kid to understand why they would want to hurt us. Unfortunately, we could not get a conclusive answer behind their actions due to unfortunate language barriers and the kid’s refusal to give an answer. 

In good nature, Mira hoped that this little one would be able to find a bosom buddy to share their interest in getting krilled. To which, this krill attracter responded favourably, giving a smiley face. Having no definite answer to our questions, we decided to head straight home. We merely went to graveyard for the big plant after all.

In spite of the incident, Mira gave me another idea.

Perhaps…

This is how krill cultists find one another?

It is hard to understand them without interviewing them. There are too many unknowns behind their activities, motives and presence. 

Perhaps someday, 

We may find an answer behind the emergence of such elusive krill cultists. 

Or we may never ever get one.


	13. Sky Log #9: Fear the Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT used to be alone and carefree. But now that they had a family and experienced warmth, it's hard to revert back to such a lifestyle. LT now fears... loneliness.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late posting. With Chinese New Year celebrations and my assignments, it just push back the posting to now... I didn't mean to make your post-holiday mood bad but it has come to this part of the diary entries. I'm just writing a very relatable moment for everyone and for those who missed their friends who went MIA in Sky. I'm not sure if I will lose reads after this but I wasn't 100% planning to write happy diary entries. Just like how Sky doesn't give you guys a 100% fun filled game. *ahem* krills *ahem*

# Sky Log #9: Fear the Nightmare

Nightmares...

Dreams that uses whatever information it can gather from the unconscious mind to turn into something frightening. It could take the form of something silly, like clowns or... deep rooted fears you have inside of you. Simply said, nightmares are just a manifestation of your worries and fears. Fears that you never quite registered in yourself.

I am a lone traveler.

Or _the_ Lone Traveler.

Someone who was born into Sky alone. Someone who traveled through the realms alone for most part of my moth days until... I eventually settled into my family.

...

I have never known a greater fear apart from facing krills. Losing my wings to such bloodthirsty beasts was a disaster. Think of the hassle of wondering where your wings would have gone. Unless you didn’t care about feeding your stars to the krills, you would be in for a nasty mood for the rest of your day.

Yet, upon getting to know my friends whom I now call as my family… 

My greatest fear was losing them.

Not just losing them suddenly, but slowly. 

One by one. 

Never knowing _when_ they leave but knowing that they _will_ is a constant stabbing thought in my mind. There are always unpredictable circumstances that neither of us can avoid. Situations that neither of us can go against or even change. Things that will pull us apart and make us distant from each other. Or it can even be fights. Fights that are so big and so blown out of proportion that no amount of peacekeeping can mend that crack in your relationships. 

It is so easy… to lose friends.

And, it is never easy to maintain a relationship of any sort. I find them to be like plants. Too much water, the roots will rot and die. But, too much sunlight or too little water, it will just shrivel up. 

…

How can you change time that moves forward but never backwards?

How do you go back to the exact moment when everyone was happy?

Everyone grows up eventually.

Someday, some of us will have families and have to leave their lifetime of adventures behind. Someday, we will have jobs and find ourselves too busy to even play in Sky. Someday... 

Some of us will leave Sky for good.

I cannot change the future that comes with such possibilities. Neither can I change my friends’ choices when the time comes.

I can only... 

Wish for their happiness.

Just months before, a friend of Val came to say his goodbye. He was getting married. Unfortunately, he had to leave Sky to build up his family. As his last farewell gift, he played a couple of heartwarming songs before he left. I may not have grown close to this friend, yet the suddenness brought up this fear in me.

More so after little Mo left. 

…

In my days of watching others by the sidelines, I have grown to understand that there are things you cannot control. No matter how hard you try, some things just don’t end the way you wanted. 

Rather than close the door to your heart and refuse things that will bring you pain, why not… Keep it open? 

Rain or shine, whether they stay or not is up to them. If they stay, cherish them and do your best to convey that their presence is appreciated. If they leave, don’t weep at the loss of their presence. Instead, enjoy the good memories you have with them. 

Yes, it will hurt. 

Regardless it will hurt either way; you refusing them or you accepting them and dealing with the future.

The point is… There would be moments when you were happy in that period of friendship. 

That is what matters. 

To live is to experience all of these. If not these, then what is the point of being alive? 

What is… the point of being a Sky kid?

Friends? Adventures? Or love?

If a kid denies friends for fear of loss and pain, they deny the central part of themselves. Eventually, they will lose themselves. They lose the meaning behind Sky and their love for it, before they cease to exist. 

That, in my opinion, is the worse way to leave Sky.

If I were to leave Sky, leave behind the friends I have made, I would not leave forever. I will come back again. I have done it once. I can do it again. But I hope, if that happens, there will be at least someone I know waiting for me. 

Just like Pianist. 

Maybe he wasn’t waiting for me. But he took my presence as something to be treasured, showing me a world beyond Sky. And that is good enough, for I am a person who repays goodness with kindness. I will not do anything more. 

So, I will wait. 

For who and how long? 

I will wait for my friends for as long as I can, so that someday, we can adventure together. In the meantime, I treasure what little time I have with them.

So that when it is time for them to inevitably leave…

My memories of them will continue to keep them alive…

As though, they have never left in the first place.


	14. Sky Log #10: Valid's K

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT, the lonely Sky kid, looks closely into the love life of a certain couple. They wonder how is it possible for love to blossom in Sky and realised it was Sky that provided the chance to do so.

# Sky Log #10: Valid's K

Among the Sky family members, I was slightly interested in the relationship between Val and David. 

To be honest, when I first met them, I thought they were married in real life. 

Well, it was not a wonder at all because they were, and still are, calling each other affectionately. Habit is a scary thing because I had gotten used to how they call each other. I really had not expected them to be two individuals living in completely different places and having different cultures, languages and age. But, their love is true. It could not be faked after being around this family for so long.

In my travels in Sky, the Sky community has a rather unique culture from many other places (or games). 

We don’t differentiate each other by age, gender, race or religion. When we are born, we are born into the generic moth body, with the brown cape and short hair. So, we are mostly spared from pre-existing judgements learnt from our environments that could easily sour our time in Sky.

Speech is not a necessity. 

Our emotes and honks convey what we want and need within this place. However, when needed, we tend to face issues due to language barriers. Please don’t forget. English is not the first language for many countries and was only taught or self-learnt at a later age. Currently, the admins in this world are still working towards installing a translator to deal with the language barrier while some players have gone around it by installing it in order to communicate with their friends. 

Despite the language and cultural barriers, I see posts of people finding their partners and enjoying Sky together. Instead of enforcing fixed options, Sky has provided an open platform for individuals to meet and learn from each other. Moreover, it has created options for players to avoid toxicity. 

Let’s say if you were to befriend a seemingly decent person, but ended up realizing that the person is unpleasant in his ways and words, there are options which you can block, report or mute. 

You end the toxicity there.

When more players do that to protect themselves and others, we can isolate these unpleasant people. We don’t have to directly fight and create more of the toxic atmosphere associated with games. Fortunately, unpleasant people takes up the minority population in here. You hardly meet them unless you unknowingly invite them into your circle. 

Anyway, back to the pair of lovebirds.

As I am writing this log, I vaguely feel like a child narrating my perspective on my parents’ love life, especially their first meeting. Consequently, please don’t mind me when I’m exaggerated some details because what I heard are a combination of first and second person accounts.

It began with a simple post.

A mainstream post that started something similar like “Answer me with a ‘K’ if you don’t hate me.”

So, Papa David who had a little crush on Mama Val at that time wanted to let her know his feelings, answered with a ‘K’. They didn’t know each other well at that time because Papa David is just a follower of her posts. Yet, both individuals were attracted to each other. There was this soft but strong magnetic force that pulled them close to each other as they began to meet up with each other in Sky. Pairing up with the mysterious force was the cute pet names they naturally give each other from time to time. 

It was like they were made for each other.

Therefore, it was not strange at all for their close friends around them to notice this connection between the two. 

A time came when Papa David did a small but heartwarming sacrifice. He adjusted his time just to spend a little more with Mama Val. For many who did not know, they lived hours apart, separated by countries and seas. If it was morning for Mama Val, it would be night for Papa David. Touched by his act but held back by past pain, Mama Val wanted to pull back a little and put a bit of distance between them. Fortunately, unfazed by this, he slowly won her back with his patience and care. 

Before any one realized it, they became a couple.

David once told me when we were getting mushrooms under the boat during Season of Enchantment (before admins took them away) that Val told him it was like he pushed through the door without a care and declared he love her. Not only that, he patiently waited for her until she was able to overcome her pain and be with him.

It is heartwarming to learn about how such a relationship had come about. 

What is even better is that their relationship has given hope to some friends in finding their partners. I have seen some friends saying how they are so inspired from the couple that they ended up searching for a partner. Some ended up being successful, thanking this pair of lovebirds.

Valid (ship name of Val and David) is truly a source of inspiration for couples. Including singles who are ready to date. 

…

Sky: Children of the Light…

A place that connects individuals far and wide.

Regardless of where you are, who you are, what you are… Once you are in Sky, you are not so much different from one another. We all came here to enjoy the sceneries (game graphics are simply top-notched) and share the laughter and fun of just being in Sky, being around friends.

It is because of the people within Sky that makes weddings and relationships possible.

It is because of you, who made all of this possible.

Each and every one of you lit up the world, bless us with your laughter and sneaky oob tricks, shared with us countless amazing pictures and videos of yourselves with your friends and provided fantastic ideas to grow Sky.

And I hope…

Whether in reality or in Sky,

That you will continue to make the world better than ever.


	15. Short Story 1.3: The Letter "K"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LT finally transcribed the short story. They have a sneaking suspicion that the couple they know is reincarnated. (=_=) They have no conclusive evidence apart from this memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to honest with you, my dear fellow reader. I actually have no ending to this story. :D That is why I left it in an open ending. But, I wanted the ending to be as realistic as possible. Given that it is a short story that can be considered a myth, you can think of the ending as something that has been interpreted by many mouths. It has been interpreted to the point that many believed the couple had happily lived together. As many of you suspected, I draw inspiration for this story from my friends, particularly Val and David.

# Short Story 1.3: The Letter K

There was once a Queen  
who lives in the Hidden Forest.

A child of the Forest Elder.  
A queen beloved by many.  
Yet,  
She felt lonely.

Here comes a King,  
Young and bold.

A student of the Wasteland Elder.  
An exalted lord of the krebs.  
Yet,  
He felt incomplete.

Not until they received a mysterious letter  
To an annual party.

It was a mysterious party  
Hosted by 2 sisters,  
Anna and Shaz.

They are practitioners of magic,  
Skilled in the mysterious arts of  
Destiny and fate.

The letters they sent out  
Have a curious magic spell.  
That will reveal a letter,  
From the 26 alphabets,  
To a pair of soulmates.

Incidentally enough,  
Our pair of lovers  
Have the letter,  
“K” on their envelopes.

When they meet each other  
Under the bright moonlight,  
Beside the big lake in the Forest temple,  
They feel this connection  
That cannot be explained.

However,  
Their love was destined  
To be forged in the flames of hardships.

Fortunately,  
Just as theirs were filled with bitterness,  
Their love was filled with sweetness too.

It could be what we know as  
Bittersweet.

As this little story ends,  
We do not know whether they will  
End up together.

But what we do know is that  
They will live happily together  
For as long as they can.


End file.
